3of21 Louie Bubongo
Louie Bubongo Age 8: "I've decided. I'm going to become a professional hockey player and play in the Olympics for Team Canada!" Age 9: "Pick me... Pick me... Don't let me be the last one standing here." Age 9: "Season tickets to all the Saints games?! This is the best birthday ever!" Age 10: "The color of my skin doesn't make me any better or worse than the rest of them. Why am I always picked last? Someday, I'll be picked first. I'm sure of it." Age 12: "This town is full of bigots. I learned to skate as soon as I could walk! Doesn't that count for anything?" Age 12: "This sucks! I'm going to lose so much practice time because of this dumb surgery... I'm going to fall behind and it's all because of my stupid appendix!" Age 14: "Study? Why should I? Doesn't mom realize; I'll never be the best if I don't spend EVERY spare moment practicing?!" Age 15: "People are finally taking notice. All my hard work is paying off! I'm being picked first now!" Age 15: "I can't believe they printed my name wrong on my jersey! It's BUBONGO, with a B! Idiots." Age 16: "I'm going to do that. I'm going to win Canada the gold medal in the Olympics. I know I can do it!" Age 18: "First overall? I was picked first overall? It's a dream come true! I'm going to play in the NHL!" Age 18: "Why is she taking this so hard? We only had a couple dates... and besides, it's the NHL! Gina seemed to 'get' me, so why is she so surprised?" Age 19: "I'm quivering with excitement... This is it... I'm about to play my first NHL game!" Age 20: "What a horrible season... I wasn't picked for Team Canada... I can't believe it... I worked so hard for this." Age 20: "I can barely watch the Games this year... it's just depressing. It brings up so many failures and defeats." Age 20: "Frozen puck to the face... I'm lucky it only broke my nose!" Age 21: "Traded? Traded to our nemesis? I guess anyone can be traded." Age 24: "Yes! I've been selected to Team Canada! It's a dream come true! We're going to win the gold medal for sure!" Age 25: "Olympic Gold Medal. Stanley Cup Champion. MVP. All my hard work has finally paid off. It's everything I ever dreamed of!" Age 26: "Breathe, remember to breathe, Louie. That gorgeous creature in the white dress is walking right to you. Gina - the most beautiful woman in the world." Age 27: "I'm a free agent. I can go anywhere. I think I want to settle down with Gina... Go back home and play for my hometown team in Winnipeg." Age 28: "Another Gold Medal! Another Stanley Cup! History does repeat itself!" Age 29: "Gina's mom keeps bugging us about grandkids. God, I wish she'd give it up." Age 30: "Lifting the Stanley Cup never gets old. Never." Age 32: "A chance to win the Gold Medal in Canada just like they did in 2010. This is a once in a lifetime chance." Age 33: "Paralyzed... my career is over. My life is over." Age 33: "That reporter had the gaul to ask me how it feels! Skidding over some black ice and slamming into a tree - the irony is biting, to say the least." Age 33: "I can't believe she's standing by me. I've been a miserable S.O.B since the accident, but Gina's stuck it out. I really did marry the greatest girl in the world." Age 34: "I wish Gina would quit hassling me about going to the doctor. Like a minor infection really matters. What else could possibly happen to me - I've already lost my legs." Age 34: "Alright, this thing is actually starting to smell pretty foul. Better have it looked at." Age 34: "How could it have spread this fast?" Age 35: "Maybe this is a blessing in disguise." Age 35: "Gina is going to hate this. But she knew what hockey meant to me when she married me. She's a strong girl - she won't be alone for long." Age 35: "Signed the paper work... I guess I'm waiting on them now. What a weird sensation, waiting to die." Age 35: "I'm on a roll; the world can't keep me down... I've still got some luck left! Age 37: "That's it - my very last dollar down the slots. How am I going to pay Big Tony back now? What the hell am I going to tell Gina?" Age 38: "That black van has been following me all day. If that's one of Big Tony's lackeys, let 'em come for me. What's he gonna do, break my legs?"